About two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending one of Toben Food by Design‘s pop-up dinners at their new partnered venue, Grace. Guests were treated to an amazing family-style dinner in a multi-faceted space. Grace was the perfect backdrop for the evening: a beautifully designed space using a mixture of heritage tones and contemporary touches.

For those who desire some Asian influence and nostalgia in their meal, I highly recommend checking out Toben Food by Design‘s Lǚkè Pop Up Series: I. “Meaning Traveler in Mandarin, Lǚkè transports each guest to a different location by combining flavour, design, style and service for a full globetrotter experience in your very own city.”

Pop-up dinners are not new in Toronto, but to execute one with such exceptional food is what sets this one apart. The Lǚkè dinner embodies the small community closeness of the Asian culture, without sacrificing the privacy and space to which western dining culture is accustomed. Having traveled all over various parts of Asia, both Chef Toben and Chef Liam brought forth their inspiration from their trips straight to the dinner tables in the most wonderful way.

Upon entering Grace, guests are escorted to their communal tables, and drink orders were taken. The inspiration from their Asia travels is quite evident right from the presentation of the tables to the subtle nuances across the 8 courses we had the pleasure of enjoying. Each course was carefully prepared with consideration of its Asian influence such that the overall experience was an adventure in itself.

The three specialty cocktails (Taramind Sour, Sake Cocktail and Thai Coconut) perfectly complemented all of the Asian-inspired dishes. I opted for the Thai Coconut, a sweet mixture of white rum, lemongrass syrup, lime bitters and coconut water. Yum!

As a seasoned traveler myself, I’ve had the chance to experience my share of Asian cuisine and can attest to the fact that the best cuisine out there really stimulates all five taste senses: saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami. The dishes prepared by Toben certainly did just that: it is clear that a lot of attention was placed into ensuring that each one of these flavors was incorporated and balanced across the 8 delectable dishes.

We began dinner with three snacks. First up, deviled eggs which were carefully crafted with miso-crème fraiche yolk – a sensational taste of its Italian origin coupled with an Asian accent thanks to the red shisho, and Liam’s cured salmon roe. These were to die for, and the general consensus of our table was that we wished we had more of them!

The second snack was the Vegetarian Hot and Sour soup, which was the dish we found incorporated the greatest amount of Asian influence. With its exotic mushrooms, and 5 spice lotus root chips, this soup did not shy away from its Asian heritage leaving a very savory experience in one’s palette.

The third snack served as a tasty palette cleanser to the first two dishes, “resetting” our respective palette in preparation for the main meal. I cannot think of a better way to do it than using Hamachi Crudo paired with baby cucumber, and various herbs. This dish’s origin is actually Italian and serves as an answer to the Japanese Sashimi. The idea here was to bring the ocean to your dish without countering the natural flavors. This dish itself was light, gentle and served its purpose in preparing us for the main courses.

The first main course was Jumbo Fried Chicken Wings accompanied by its own set of Bachan – Kimchi, Cucumber Salad, and Picked Daikon. Over the last several years, Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) has popped up everywhere and has earned its staying power for a very good reason. The idea of having bachan Korean sides that are light and breezy, followed by fried chicken really elevated the flavours as opposed to fried food on top of fried food that you typically find at most fried chicken restaurants.

The next main course was the Charred Octopus, another very well-known Italian dish, seasoned with Black Bean Pineapple, and Lime. The two chefs cleverly fused an Asian staple food to this dish that every Asian household is very well aware of: Lap Cheong Sausages. The sausages were cut into tiny pieces to create a visually pleasing presentation, but also added flavor that complemented the octopus.

We ended off the main meal with a rather intricate salad consisting of many ingredients. The Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad composed of Kohlrabi, beets, heirloom carrots, Brussels sprouts, dandelion greens, radishes, pumpkin seeds, heirloom cherry tomato, and drizzled in a creamy golden miso dressing. I liked that it was filling and packed with flavor.

Wok Fried Water Spinach is an essential dish in Asian home-style cooking and restaurants. Toben’s version mixed oyster sauce, lemongrass, galangal and garlic to re-create a classic vegetable dish.

The night ended off on a sweet note with the Black Tea-Sea Salt Creme Caramel. Simply divine!

Overall, the evening certainly lived up to its goals of delivering guests that true globetrotter experience. Every detail of the dinner from start to finish was meticulously arranged, which culminated into a fantastic dinner and overall guest experience.

We look forward to the next pop up event hosted by these two seasoned traveler chefs! If you’re interested in giving this meal a try, the next event in the Lǚkè Pop Up Series: I will take place at Grace on April 5th at 7 pm.

About two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending one of Toben Food by Design‘s pop-up dinners at their new partnered venue, Grace. Guests were treated to an amazing family-style dinner in a multi-faceted space. Grace was the perfect backdrop for the evening: a beautifully designed space using a mixture of heritage tones and contemporary touches.

For those who desire some Asian influence and nostalgia in their meal, I highly recommend checking out Toben Food by Design‘s Lǚkè Pop Up Series: I. “Meaning Traveler in Mandarin, Lǚkè transports each guest to a different location by combining flavour, design, style and service for a full globetrotter experience in your very own city.”

Pop-up dinners are not new in Toronto, but to execute one with such exceptional food is what sets this one apart. The Lǚkè dinner embodies the small community closeness of the Asian culture, without sacrificing the privacy and space to which western dining culture is accustomed. Having traveled all over various parts of Asia, both Chef Toben and Chef Liam brought forth their inspiration from their trips straight to the dinner tables in the most wonderful way.

Upon entering Grace, guests are escorted to their communal tables, and drink orders were taken. The inspiration from their Asia travels is quite evident right from the presentation of the tables to the subtle nuances across the 8 courses we had the pleasure of enjoying. Each course was carefully prepared with consideration of its Asian influence such that the overall experience was an adventure in itself.

The three specialty cocktails (Taramind Sour, Sake Cocktail and Thai Coconut) perfectly complemented all of the Asian-inspired dishes. I opted for the Thai Coconut, a sweet mixture of white rum, lemongrass syrup, lime bitters and coconut water. Yum!

As a seasoned traveler myself, I’ve had the chance to experience my share of Asian cuisine and can attest to the fact that the best cuisine out there really stimulates all five taste senses: saltiness, sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami. The dishes prepared by Toben certainly did just that: it is clear that a lot of attention was placed into ensuring that each one of these flavors was incorporated and balanced across the 8 delectable dishes.

We began dinner with three snacks. First up, deviled eggs which were carefully crafted with miso-crème fraiche yolk – a sensational taste of its Italian origin coupled with an Asian accent thanks to the red shisho, and Liam’s cured salmon roe. These were to die for, and the general consensus of our table was that we wished we had more of them!

The second snack was the Vegetarian Hot and Sour soup, which was the dish we found incorporated the greatest amount of Asian influence. With its exotic mushrooms, and 5 spice lotus root chips, this soup did not shy away from its Asian heritage leaving a very savory experience in one’s palette.

The third snack served as a tasty palette cleanser to the first two dishes, “resetting” our respective palette in preparation for the main meal. I cannot think of a better way to do it than using Hamachi Crudo paired with baby cucumber, and various herbs. This dish’s origin is actually Italian and serves as an answer to the Japanese Sashimi. The idea here was to bring the ocean to your dish without countering the natural flavors. This dish itself was light, gentle and served its purpose in preparing us for the main courses.

The first main course was Jumbo Fried Chicken Wings accompanied by its own set of Bachan – Kimchi, Cucumber Salad, and Picked Daikon. Over the last several years, Korean Fried Chicken (KFC) has popped up everywhere and has earned its staying power for a very good reason. The idea of having bachan Korean sides that are light and breezy, followed by fried chicken really elevated the flavours as opposed to fried food on top of fried food that you typically find at most fried chicken restaurants.

The next main course was the Charred Octopus, another very well-known Italian dish, seasoned with Black Bean Pineapple, and Lime. The two chefs cleverly fused an Asian staple food to this dish that every Asian household is very well aware of: Lap Cheong Sausages. The sausages were cut into tiny pieces to create a visually pleasing presentation, but also added flavor that complemented the octopus.

We ended off the main meal with a rather intricate salad consisting of many ingredients. The Shaved Winter Vegetable Salad composed of Kohlrabi, beets, heirloom carrots, Brussels sprouts, dandelion greens, radishes, pumpkin seeds, heirloom cherry tomato, and drizzled in a creamy golden miso dressing. I liked that it was filling and packed with flavor.

Wok Fried Water Spinach is an essential dish in Asian home-style cooking and restaurants. Toben’s version mixed oyster sauce, lemongrass, galangal and garlic to re-create a classic vegetable dish.

The night ended off on a sweet note with the Black Tea-Sea Salt Creme Caramel. Simply divine!

Overall, the evening certainly lived up to its goals of delivering guests that true globetrotter experience. Every detail of the dinner from start to finish was meticulously arranged, which culminated into a fantastic dinner and overall guest experience.

We look forward to the next pop up event hosted by these two seasoned traveler chefs! If you’re interested in giving this meal a try, the next event in the Lǚkè Pop Up Series: I will take place at Grace on April 5th at 7 pm.

In the early afternoon of a weekday back in December 2016, we headed to Ikebukuro to check off one of my bucket list items - visit an Owl cafe in Tokyo. I researched a bit before our visit, and found one that was easily accessible by metro. We went to Ikebukuro Cafe, and put our names on the list to return at 4:30 pm. You don't need a reservation, but it is highly recommended. We went on a weekend and it was ¥1600 an hour and the price includes a drink of choice.

Upon entering, we were given a laminated sheet with the cafe's request and rules.

Request and Rules

Then we were escorted to the play area, where we were greeted with various owls of different shapes and sizes. Most of the smaller owls were pretty playful, and seemed OK with the constant light petting from guests. Unfortunately, each owl had one of their legs tied with a long string, but I read somewhere that they do get breaks to fly.

Although not pictured, I also got the opportunity to have one of the larger owls sit on my arm. I was a little hesitant, as I saw this very same owl flapped its large wings at a guest before me. That owl also ended up attacking me a little bit lol. Overall, it was still a fun and memorable experience.

Cinnaholic is an American cinnamon roll bakery franchise founded in 2010. They appeared on Shark Tank in 2014, where they got an offer from one of the investors. The company then adopted a franchise business model in 2015, and there are now 3 locations in Ontario.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit their Danforth location to try a few cinnamon rolls myself. The store was small in size with a few long-standing tables at the front. I'd say this location is more for take-out orders. When I was there, there was a constant flow of customers taking the buns to go rather than eat-in.

To be perfectly honest, I usually don't care for vegan food as I have had some pretty bad experiences. So my expectations for vegan cinnamon rolls weren't very high. However, I was pleasantly surprised as to how good these rolls were. It was hard to distinguish these from the non-vegan ones I have had in recent years.

Cinnaholic's cinnamon rolls are 100% vegan and made with the highest quality ingredients. What makes the rolls vegan? It's dairy-free, eggs-free and cholesterol-free. The one thing is that it's not the healthiest dessert, as I believe the calories count for each roll is at least 600 calories. However, if you're not counting calories and love chocolate. Then definitely get the Cookie Monster. It's a roll with vanilla frosting topped off with cookie dough, chocolate chips and chocolate drizzle.

Out of the two rolls, I liked the Raptors on a Roll more. So fluffy and soft! I'd get this same roll again if/when I am in the area.

If you don't like their pre-made combinations, you can also customize your own cinnamon roll from a variety of Cinnaholic’s signature frosting flavors and toppings. The original hand-crafted custom cinnamon roll starts at $4.95, and you can add a frosting flavor for $0.25 and each topping is $0.50. My fully customizable cinnamon bun consists of cream cheese frosting, marshmallow and sprinkles.

The buns are made to order, and it tastes great when you eat it right away. However, the frosting does tend to harden overtime, so I'd recommend heating it up in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds if you don't eat it right after purchase. It was a very sweet treat that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Chongqing style noodles are a type of noodles that originated in Chongqing, China, which are collectively called xiǎomiàn, or "little noodles" in English. It's now very popular throughout Asia, and in recent years has made its way to North America. One chain serving Chongqing style noodles in the GTA is Hey Noodles, which opened its first location back in 2015. They now have a few locations on hand, and recently opened another one in Richmond Hill, ON. A couple of weeks back, I was invited to check out their North York location for dinner with a few foodies and bloggers. I have been to the Chinatown location, and found the one in North York to be smaller in size with only a handful of seats. However, it still has the same homey feel to it and great for dinner with friends.

Additionally, Hey Noodles is definitely expanding its brand as they will be opening up a 5th location in Markham in a month's time. They will also be opening up in Mississauga sometime next year as well (date is TBA).

Tofu Skin ($4.99)

Another appetizer that I liked was theSeaweed ($4.99), which had a nice spicy flavor to it.

The portion of Quail Eggs ($4.99) was quite good, and I enjoyed it. I added a few of the eggs to my broth as an extra topping.

I also got an order of Popcorn Chicken ($4.99), which I did not like. I found the chicken to be quite bland and a little overly fried. I would not get this again.

I like the idea of customization, so I chose the create my own bowl option instead of one of the pre-created bowls. I opted for the Szechuan Style Beef Brisket ($13.99). This dish allowed me to choose the softness of my noodles, soup level, spice level, and numbness level. You can also add extra toppings like peanut, sesame and sesame paste, all free of charge.

My noodles dish arrived pretty quickly within a 10 minutes wait (despite our large group order). Please note that Hey Noodles does take their spice levels very seriously, and even the "regular spicy" was pretty spicy already. If you cannot tolerate eating spicy broth, then I'd recommend going for mild and no numb. In regards to my bowl of noodles, I liked that it came with an abundant amount of tender beef, and the noodle texture had a nice bounce to them. I would get this same noodles dish again!

Overall, dinner was good, and the Hey Noodles chain is also very budget friendly. I believe that most noodle dishes were under $15, and you can also request free (unlimited) refills on the noodles. If you're looking for affordable eats, then definitely give Hey Noodles a try. As they also have a new afternoon tea combo every Monday to Friday from 2:30 pm to 5 pm. Check them out =)

Thank you to Devon for the invitation and Hey Noodles for the hospitality.

I didn't know Lobster Suppers existed until my first visit to the island back in 2016. New Glasgow Lobster Suppers opened its doors in 1958, and has since become a popular tourist destination in New Glasgow, PEI. Upon arrival, you are asked to decide your entree & purchase your meal order before being seated. Gratuities are not included in the price of your meal, so if you're pleased with the meal and service, tip your server (in cash) before leaving.

We started off the meal with a basket of homemade rolls and bread. The bread was to my liking - super fluffy. The salad on the other hand has been a hit/miss.

Included in the meal is a bucket of Steamed Island Blue Mussels, which is completely refillable. Most restaurants charge $12+ for a single bucket of mussels, so this was a great deal to me. We finished 2 buckets.

We both opted for the lobster entree, I got 1 pound ($36.95) and J got 1.5 pounds ($43.95). The lobster wasn't anything special, as it was just steamed with a side of melted butter. I appreciated the lobster being pre-cracked, so it made eating it much easier.

Given the high prices of eating out in Charlottetown, I'd say that the price paid here (per person) was pretty good in value. Some people would probably group this place as a "tourist trap", which I can understand why as it's now on most lists of top things to do in PEI. However, it's a good deal for what you get.

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Welcome to Foodaholic! A Toronto-based food reviews, travel and lifestyle blog. My name is Sandi, and I am a female living in the city of Toronto (Canada). I am also an entrepreneur working in the field of logistics and e-commerce. When I am not working, I enjoy blogging, traveling, reading, taking photos, and of course eating. I started this blog as I am an avid foodie who also loves to travel, and I wanted an outlet to share my personal experiences.

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If you have any questions, suggestions, media inquires, feedback, etc ... please email me at foodaholic12@gmail.com.

Food Rating System

The rating list is based on the estimated price of a meal for one person (including taxes).

$ = Inexpensive, under $15$$ = Moderately affordable, between $15-$25$$$ = Expensive, between $25-$50$$$$ = Very expensive or fine dining, $50 and up

Disclaimer (Reviews)

This was blog was started for the purpose of sharing my opinions of restaurants that I have dined at (or took out delivery). Some of you may have different taste buds or a completely different dining experience than what I've had, and may disagree with my reviews, which is fine. However, please note that all of the reviews featured on this blog are solely based on my dining experience. Thanks :)